Creation Of new value chain Relations through novel Approaches facilitating Long-term Industrial Symbiosis

Project Information

CORALIS

Grant agreement ID: 958337

DOI

10.3030/958337

Project closed

EC signature date 24 September 2020

Start date 1 October 2020

End date 31 March 2025

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies - Advanced manufacturing and processing

Total cost

€ 22 575 094,92

EU contribution

€ 17 987 565,27

Coordinated by

FUNDACION CIRCE CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION DE RECURSOS Y CONSUMOS ENERGETICOS
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - CORALIS (Creation Of new value chain Relations through novel Approaches facilitating Long-term Industrial Symbiosis)

Reporting period: 2023-10-01 to 2025-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

CORALIS addresses the key challenge of implementing real Industrial Symbiosis (IS) solutions by tackling technical, economic, and managerial barriers. Through three demonstration sites and three follower sites across different industrial sectors, CORALIS generates practical knowledge to support future IS initiatives. By promoting resource and energy efficiency, IS contributes to environmental, economic, and social sustainability.

The main objective of CORALIS is to decarbonize resource- and energy-intensive value chains through viable IS solutions combining innovative technologies with new business strategies. Demonstrations across industrial sectors build knowledge and enable broader EU adoption. CORALIS also aims to: deepen understanding of IS performance; strengthen the IS facilitator role and develop monitoring and data-sharing tools; enhance IS sustainability via improved business models and economic methods; implement novel IS value chains in real settings; support follower sites with technical and managerial guidance; and promote IS through awareness, stakeholder cooperation, and contributions to standardization and policy.

CORALIS demonstrated the feasibility of IS and its potential to reduce energy use, emissions, and waste. All lighthouse sites achieved increased TRL in implemented technologies. The project delivered 18 exploitable results, strategic roadmaps, and digital tools. It also generated social value, including climate impact through emission reductions and inclusive employment, as shown in Frövi with job creation across diverse demographics.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The CORALIS project focused on two core goals: implementing real IS cases and generating cross-cutting knowledge.

Early efforts (M1 – M18) included site preparation, technical and economic assessments, and defining engineering requirements. From M19 - M36, demonstration activities began, and methodologies for techno-economic assessment and market analysis were developed. In the final phase (M37–M54), IS demonstrations were validated in Escombreras, Frövi, and Brescia, and strategic roadmaps were created for three follower regions.

Environmental, technological, and regulatory assessments, along with strong dissemination efforts—including over 60 events, 9 newsletters, and a project film—reached more than 30,000 stakeholders, exceeding all outreach KPIs. A digital monitoring tool was finalized, and 18 Key Exploitable Results (KERs) were identified across the six demo cases. Exploitation strategies were defined, including patents and confidentiality agreements, and a dedicated workshop guided partners on intellectual property and future commercialization. CORALIS thus provided concrete results and tools for scaling IS across European industry.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

CORALIS has progressed beyond the state of the art by demonstrating innovative Industrial Symbiosis (IS) technologies and developing techno-economic tools and business models to support their replication. The Lighthouse demonstrators achieved notable results in circularity, energy efficiency, and emissions reduction. In Escombreras, industrial residues replaced virgin raw materials, enabling the recovery of HCl and CaCO₃, and reducing CO2 emissions by 96% and energy use per ton by 70% (TRL 6). In Frövi, waste heat was valorised through a 100,000 m² greenhouse, cutting energy use by 33% and avoiding up to 29,000 tCO2/year (TRL 9). In Brescia, promising technologies for metallurgical residue valorisation—such as briquetting—were validated at lab or pilot scale, with implementation at TRL 4–6.

CORALIS also deepened the understanding of systemic barriers—including regulatory complexity, financing challenges, and institutional inertia—that hinder IS implementation. These barriers were recurrent across all sites, despite differences in context.

The societal impact is significant. Emission reductions contribute directly to climate change mitigation. Socio-economic benefits are especially visible in Frövi, where the greenhouse created inclusive job opportunities. In Escombreras, new IS pathways emerged, including a CSP feasibility study to power a desalination plant, with potential benefits for multiple regional industries.

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